How Do I Maintain My Stucco Exterior? (Resource Guide)

Washing Your Stucco Walls:

Stucco walls can be washed and should be washed two to three times a year in order to maintain the finish coat's ability to shine and function the way it should.

You can do this one of two different ways: using a garden hose or a pressure washer.

Using A Garden Hose: You can use a simple garden hose and wash down the exterior of your stucco but be aware that this will only remove a small amount of the dirt and debris that gets collected on your stucco walls over time.

Using a garden hose works best on smooth to semi-smooth textures and will provide a decent cleanse, removing the debris that is loose on the surface.

If you want to get a much better result from using your garden hose then use a medium stiffness brush to get the majority of the dirt removed.

This is a lot more labor intense but will have very different results for your efforts as well.

Using A Pressure Washer: A pressure washer is the preferred way to clean your stucco because it is much faster, less labor intense and does a better job than a garden hose would.

If you want to clean your stucco then you will need a pressure washer that is capable of around 1500 psi MINIMUM.

Always use caution when using a pressure washer and wear appropriate safety gear to prevent injury (eye protection, hearing protection, etc.)

Remember that a minimum recommendation will get the job done but a pressure washer that has 2,800 psi will also do the job, a little faster and a little better because of the added psi.

So I recommend a unit around 1,500 - 2,800 psi.

You will want to use a 40 degree nozzle when cleaning the stucco and always be mindful of the distance your nozzle is from the wall and watch the stucco for any damage that may occur from pressure washing.

A good distance to maintain is 12" - 24" from the nozzle to the wall for cleaning using a 40 degree tip.

Feel free to experiment with the distance and if you want to try a more concentrated nozzle (25 degrees) then be sure you have the nozzle further away to avoid damaging the stucco finish.

You can also use specific cleaners to help remove tougher stains like dirt, mildew, mold and other problematic materials that can cause staining on your walls. 

There are many different cleaners out there to choose from but I will keep the list short to avoid confusion and keep the process as simple as possible.

Plain Dish Soap And Warm Water: You can use warm water and a good quality dish soap to do a general cleaning of mild dust and debris on your stucco walls and  using a good soap (I like Dawn) will give you more cleaning power than just water alone.

Bleach And Water Solution: Bleach can be a great cleaner to use on mold and mildew stains on your stucco walls but be wary of nearby plants, trees or anything else that might be at risk from using bleach.

You can add 1 part bleach to 10 - 20 parts water for a more general type of cleaning on the walls or you can strengthen the mix to 1 part bleach and 5 -10 parts water for tougher stains and "spot treatments".

Stucco Cleaners From Stucco Manufacturers: There are a few manufactures that have stucco cleaners available and these usually come in the form of a spray bottle that you hook a garden hose up to, making it easy to use and pretty effective too.

TSP Solution: TSP is a great chemical that is used for many cleaning tasks, especially when prepping walls for paint and it can work great for cleaning stucco as well.

A good recipe for using TSP is 1 - 2 cups of TSP to 1 gallon of water.

If the water is warm, it will work better and help to break down the dirt and debris a little better too. Be sure to pre-soak the wall first, from the bottom, working your way up the wall.

Maintaining Your Stucco Color:

Stucco color can fade over time and sometimes it can even become stained or discolored in extreme cases.

There are a few different things you can do to prevent these things from happening and things you can do to remedy staining issues, blotchy coloring, faded coloring, etc. as well.

Preserving Your Stucco Color:

• Regular cleaning is key to maintaining your color over the years and it helps to eliminate the accumulation of dirt that builds up and can eventually stain (especially lighter colors) the stucco.
  
  
• Landscaping is very important to have around your home or some type of barrier between the bare dirt and your stucco wall.
  
  Water that hits the ground and splashes up can ruin the bottom edge of the stucco very quickly and will likely stain the wall within a matter of weeks and sometimes even days.
  
  
• If your stucco is painted then you will have to schedule to have the house repainted every 3 - 7 years (on average) and keep avoid letting it go too long.
  
  
• If you have a traditional stucco finish that is unpainted then you may want to consider having it fog coated to restore the luster of the original stucco color and to make it look like new again.
  

Stucco Cracks Are Part Of Maintenance...

Stucco is going to crack, it is just the nature of the material but you can fix most of these with a little bit of patience and know-how.

Most of the smaller cracks can be fixed using a little caulking and is something most people can do themselves.

Many of the cracks that form are hairline cracks and I have a more in-depth tutorial on how to fix hairline cracks in stucco that shows you how to go about the process.

Applying Caulking Where It's Needed:

Applying caulking at specific locations where the stucco meets woo or another material is part of maintenance on your home and I think it should fall under stucco maintenance.

Anytime the stucco meets another material, you will have to apply a bead of caulk because the two different materials expand and contract at different rates, which can cause a gap or crack to form.

Caulking will bridge this gap and flex with any type of movement preventing issues from potentially happening.

These areas should be inspected annually and you should reapply any caulking when necessary (usually 3 - 5 years on average).

An acrylic caulking will blend in best (if done properly) but a silicone or polyurethane caulking will work better and last longer but is difficult to work with.

Common Problems That Can Arise:

In the process of cleaning your stucco walls, there can be a couple of problems that can arise so I wanted to briefly touch on these so you know what to expect and what to look out for.

Finish Chipping Off: Sometimes when you are in the process of cleaning your stucco, the finish can come off in some spots.

You can't always prevent this and it is more of an aesthetic problem (in most cases). This is more likely to happen when pressure washing.

Fixing this can be done but you will need to know what type of finish material you have on your home (traditional or acrylic) and what type of texture.

You will also have to get a custom color match with the correct finish material or paint if you want it to blend in as close as possible.

Stucco Color Is Faded Or Discolored: When your color becomes faded or discolored it is easy to remedy but more work that you might think (in some cases).

You can apply a fog coat to tradition stucco finishes (unpainted) or paint to get rid of the discoloration or fading (after cleaning the area well) but color matching is hard and "spot coloring" areas will still be noticeable.

In order to get the entire wall to look consistent, it is recommended that you color the entire wall (from corner to corner).

A lot of work, especially if you have a larger wall that the color issues are on.

Stucco Has Larger Cracks: Larger cracks (larger than 1/8" wide) will require a bit more attention and sometimes can be a sign of a more serious problem (1/4" and larger).

These are better left to have someone come out and look at what's going on to give you an idea of what to expect.

More often then not, stucco contractors will come out to give free estimates and if you find one that is willing to discuss the problem with you, giving a little insight on what might be causing the issue and how serious it is.

Staining Along Bottom Of Walls: Staining along the bottom of your walls is usually caused by rain falling and hitting the dirt on the ground and splashing up onto the wall. 

You can prevent this by having a barrier of rock, mulch, straw or some other type of material that covers the soil. This is the best way to prevent this from happening in the future.

If the staining has already occurred then you will need to put in a pretty decent amount of effort to remove or fade the staining, especially if it has been accumulating over a few months.

A pressure washer is recommended for these types of tough stains and a 25 degree nozzle at a distance of 8 - 12 inches is going to be my starting point. Go as close as you can to the wall without removing any of the finish but use caution and go slow.